Barbecue Beef Brisket, Dallas Texas Style

A whole barbecue beef brisket is a huge clod of cow that comes off the pit almost black, looking more like a meteorite than a meal. But it is not burnt, and beneath the crust is tender, juicy, smoky meat. It is the national food of the Republic of Texas. A whole brisket is a great excuse for a party.

Like a Clint Eastwood cowboy, brisket is unforgiving. Cook it right and it is tender, juicy, and flavorful. Cook it wrong and it is like a wrangler’s leather chaps.

Briskets are from the chest area of the steer between the forelegs. There are two per animal, and these boneless pectoral muscles get a lot of work, so there isn’t much fat marbling within the muscle and there’s a lot of connective tissue in and around the muscle fibers. That’s why they are so tough. Much of the world’s brisket is made into corned beef, pastrami, or pot roast, but it is also a fine cut for barbecue, and it is required in Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) cooking contests (about 500 across the nation) along with pork ribs, pulled or chopped pork, and chicken.

Your butcher probably offers three cuts of brisket, a whole “packer” brisket, a section of the flat, and a section of point. Each cut needs to be cooked differently and below we discuss how to cook each separately. Read More